Several weeks ago, my husband, Jon, took the tiller to the small patch of land that we've reserved as our vegetable garden. Since last fall, several weeds had taken root, and using the tiller was far more productive and efficient than trying to prepare the ground by hand. Soon after, we planted all kinds of vegetables which - even though we planted later than we would have liked - are now growing really well!
Not surprisingly, weeds continue to pop up, and I recently let it go a little too long without some necessary attention. So the other day, I took a hoe and rid the garden of as many weeds as I could. I wish that one day spent weeding the garden is all that I would need to do this growing season, but weeds will continue to spring up, and I will need to continue weeding the garden. This process will continue throughout the summer.
Our berry patch, on the other hand, looks quite different. A little while ago, Jon weeded the berry patch, and shortly thereafter, he also put down ground cloth and mulch. As a result, that part of the garden requires less maintenance. A few weeds pop up here and there, but overall, there are far fewer unwanted things growing.
Keeping the berry patch free of weeds required a little more effort on the front end, but now, that part of the garden is remarkably easy to maintain. And each time I'm in the garden, I can't help but see a parallel there to our inner world.
Often, we focus on getting rid of "the bad things" in our lives:
negative things we believe about ourselves
habits we know we need to break
destructive decisions we need to stop repeating
the things we know we shouldn't be filling our minds, bodies, or time with
But we don't pay as much attention to what we replace the bad things with. We continue to allow the weeds to take root, and we continue pulling them up.
Consider what would happen if we not only pulled up the weeds (a necessary step), but then we also replaced the weeds with something much better. Consider what life could be like if we not only broke bad habits and stopped engaging in destructive behaviors, but also began to fill our minds, bodies, and time with things that bring life.
And what if we went a step further and filled those empty places with God's truth.
It would require more work on the front end, but the end result could be pretty fabulous! A friend and mentor of mine told me about what he calls “The 50-day Challenge.” For 50 days, ask God this question, “What lie am I believing about myself today?” (When I say "lie," I mean a recurring negative thought that feels true but isn't.) In my experience, the lies came to mind immediately. Things like, "you're always so selfish" or "you're too much/not enough." Once the lie came to mind, my conversation with God went something like this:
God, I have believed that lie, but I choose to no longer believe it’s true. I choose to turn my focus to you. What do you say is true about me?
And I did engage in a conversation with God like that for 50 days. It was truly life changing, but it wasn’t always easy. Lots of tears and frustration came along for the ride, but much like taking a tiller to the garden, God and I got rid of a lot of weeds. It was a lot of work up front, but it made daily maintenance much more manageable. And because I asked God to replace the lies with his truth, the lies that pop up now are much easier to identify and get rid of.
When I choose to simply wait for more weeds to grow in my garden and then pull them up, I’m continuing to focus on the problem. But if I replace the weeds with ground cover and mulch, then I’m focused on a solution.
Continuing to live with lies is continuing to focus on the problem. If I’m focused on stopping a bad habit or trying my hardest to not engage in a destructive pattern, I’m focused on the problem. Getting rid of those things is important, but replacing those things with God’s truth is more important. When I ask God to tell me what he says is true about me (or about a situation or circumstance in my life), then I’m focusing on the solution. And that’s when true healing is unleashed.
Choosing to engage in the 50-day Challenge was one of the most healing things in my personal journey, and it was especially helpful having my mentor with me along the way. I’d love to join you on your own 50-day Challenge. Please feel free to send me an email or schedule some one-on-one time with me. And consider subscribing to my blog, where I post lots of helpful suggestions on how you can begin (and continue) this journey of recovering your blueprint!
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